Zoeller joins in GOP fight for 9th district seat

Attorney general joins field with two state senators

Indiana Attorney General Greg Zoeller on Monday publicly joined a crowded field of Republicans seeking what will be an open in Indiana’s 9th congressional district.
State Sen. Erin Houchin of Salem and Brent Waltz of Greenwood already are in the race.

“This is definitely going to be a spirited primary,” said Ed Feigenbaum, owner of INGroup, which publishes three political and policy newsletters. “These are three candidates who have political precedence in the state and in the region.”
Robert Hall, the only GOP candidate who hasn’t held office, is also running.
Zoeller has held the attorney general’s office since 2008. During his re-election campaign in 2012, he received the more votes than anyone else on the state ballot.
He had already launched a campaign committee but didn’t say publicly he was running until a rally Monday in New Albany.
“To rein-in federal overreach, we need a Congress that works,” Zoeller said in a statement. “And so beginning today, I will ask the people of the 9th congressional district of Indiana to allow me the opportunity to help bring about a new day in Washington.”
Houchin, has served in the state Senate since 2014 after beating a Democratic incumbent who had held the seat for 26 years.
Waltz was elected to the Senate in 2004 and served as president of the Johnson County Council previously.
“Each candidate has their own strength,” Feigenbaum said “These are three big, good names who are established and understand the political process and have the knowledge to win a seat like that.”
Hall served as the state chairman of the Young Republicans and says that he has spent a lifetime fighting for the U.S. Constitution and conservative causes.
Braden Pelley is a reporter for TheStatehouseFile.com, a news service powered by Franklin College journalism students.